Florian Wirtz has been told he should have joined Newcastle United or Tottenham Hotspur.
Former Chelsea winger Florent Malouda believes Florian Wirtz should have joined Newcastle United or Tottenham Hotspur instead of Liverpool.
Arne Slot capitalised on his Premier League title win by smashing the British transfer record to land the attacking midfielder from Bayer Leverkusen. The Reds have also added Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerez to their ranks.
As for Newcastle, they are yet to make a breakthrough in the market despite Eddie Howe calling for early action. Toon chiefs failed with a bid for Nottingham Forest winger Anthony Elanga, with James Trafford and Joao Pedro also targeted.
Florian Wirtz to Newcastle United?
But how different would the mood around Tyneside be if the Magpies had smashed the British transfer record. Ex-Chelsea star Malouda has named Newcastle - not Liverpool - as his ideal destination.
“I think Florian Wirtz has the profile to join a team that is on the rise,” he said. “He would have been perfect to join a team like Newcastle or Tottenham Hotspur, a team that wants to take that step up.”
Florian Malouda on Chelsea’s chances
Malouda also claimed Chelsea lack the “mindset” to compete in every competition. This is a factor Newcastle will need to deal with heading into a Champions League campaign.
“I want Chelsea to be able to challenge Liverpool and Manchester City but there is a difference in mindset,” he added. “There is a difference in mindset and how the club will be able to compete in every competition. Chelsea have been able to compete in one-off games with the top teams, but not in the long run.
“They have wasted too many points and that’s the big difference. The difference is in the squad and the competition within the squad. Injuries also play a part, but there are a lot of questions about Mikel Arteta’s ability to win trophies with Arsenal and that is a mindset.”
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Florian Wirtz on signing for Liverpool
Wirtz has set his sights on winning the lot at Liverpool in a bold message to the club’s supporters. He said: "I would like to win everything every year. First of all, we have to do our work. Last season they won the Premier League so my goal is for sure to win it again and also to go further in the Champions League. I'm really ambitious.
"I'm really excited to have a new adventure in front of me. This was also a big point of my thoughts: that I want to have something completely new, to go out of the Bundesliga and to join the Premier League. I will see how I can perform there. I hope I can do my best.
"I also spoke with some players who played there and they told me that it's perfect for me and every pitch is perfect, you can enjoy every game. I'm really looking forward to playing my first game."
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